An ion trap can use a combination of electrical and magnetic fields to capture one or more ions in a potential well. Ions can be trapped for a number of purposes, which may include mass spectrometry, research, and/or controlling quantum states, for example.
Ions can be transported along a path in some regions of an ion trap, and can have their motion restricted in other regions of an ion trap. As an example, electric and/or magnetic fields can be used to transport and/or capture ions (e.g., charged particles). Some ion traps make use of electrodes to transport and/or capture ions, for example, by providing static and/or oscillating electric fields that can interact with the ion.
It may be desirable to provide differing degrees of positional control to such ions as they move through different regions of an ion trap; however, providing differing degrees of positional control over ions in an ion trap can be problematic using conventional methods, which can employ electrodes of uniform pitch to provide positional control.